Virginia woman is first confirmed American casualty of Japanese disasters

[Stinky The Clown]

There is a follow-up to this story. Please see below the quote box.

Body of teacher from Chesterfield found in Japan

By Times-Dispatch Staff
Published: March 21, 2011

RICHMOND, Va. --

The body of Taylor Anderson, a 24-year-old graduate of St. Catherine's School and Randolph-Macon College who was in Japan on a teaching program when the earthquake and tsunami struck, has been found, her family announced today.

The Midlothian family said in a statement that they were told in a phone call from the U.S. Embassy in Japan.

"It is with deep regret that we inform you that earlier this morning we received a call from the US Embassy in Japan that they had found our beloved Taylor's body," the family said in the statement. "We would like to thank all those whose prayers and support have carried us through this crisis. Please continue to pray for all who remain missing and for the people of Japan. We ask that that you respect our privacy during this hard time. "

Taylor Anderson had been teaching English to kindergarten, lower school and junior high school students in Ishinomaki, a coastal city of about 163,000 in the Miyagi Prefecture as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program for more than two years. She was due to return home in August.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2011/mar/21/body-chesterfield-woman-found-japan-ar-917650/

Taylor stayed at the school until all her children had been picked up by their parents. She then fled for higher ground on her bicycle. She was not found for quite some time.

I hope her parents find peace in knowing that her strongest instinct was to care for the little children who were her charges.

[MineralMan]

1. Every loss of life in this incident is very bad.

[alsame]

2. RIP Taylor. She probably saved some lives, but couldn't save

her own. 24 - hardly more than a kid herself. Heroic and tragic.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. That's how it struck me, too.

She is younger than my youngest child. Very sad, indeed.

[Scuba]

4. My first thought was for her family. Sadly, my second thought...

...was how this would get spun by the bought-and-paid for "free" press here in the states.

Too many time I've seen the headline "Airbus crashes in huge fireball, three Americans killed".

Now it'll be "her own fault for teaching English to Japanese kids, that traiter!"